Device for verifying the dimension and sphericity of balls



April 3- c. H. H. RODANET 2,278,800

IVVDEVEKCEE FOR VERIFYING THE DIMENSION AND SPHERICITY 01; BALLS Filed Jan 18, 1940 :s Sheets-Sheet 1 .FIG.'].

. INVENTOR CHARLES HILAIRE, HENRI RODANET ATT'ORN EV;

April 1942- c. H.7H. RobANET I 2,278,800

' DEVICE FOR VERIFYING THE DIMENSION AND sPHERIciTYpF BALLS Filed Jan. 18, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig. 2. F164- INVENTOR CHARLES HILAIRE HENRI RODANET ATTORNEYS April 1942- c. H. H.'RODANET ,27 ,800

DEVICE FOR VERIFYING THE DIMENSION AND SPHERICITY 0F BALLS Filed Jan. 18, 1940 I 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Q five/#01: 7 CHARLES HILAIREHENRI RODANET v Byw fl flfiarneys.

Patented Apr. 7, 1942 nnv'rcs m vnarrmo 'rns nmsnsrox AND srnnarom or ms Charles Hllair'e Henri Bodnnet, Nenilly-sur- Seine, France, assignor to Socit Anonyme: Etablissements- Ed. Jaeger, Levallois-Perret,

Seine, France Application January 18, 1940, Serial No. 314,418 In France February 6, 1939 5 Claims.

For measuring or verifying machined 'parts, use is actually made oi pneumatic devices of very high sensitiveness based on the principle of the. measurement of the outflow of a fluid through an orifice opposite which is arranged the wall of the part or member to be measured or verified. The outflow of the fluid through said orifice is function of the distance of said orifice to the wall of the member and is translated by a variation oi the pressure, constituting the measuring element and which exists in a chamber comprising said orifice as well as an inlet fed with a fluid under a constant pressure. When the distance seting the outlet orifice from the wall of the member to be measured,

increases, the pressure in the :w t ishes, and vice versa.

The present invention which allows of verifying the dimension and the sphericity of balls entries into practice, for the pur indica,z

the pneumatic measuring or verifying principle above set forth.

This invention, in its main feature, consists in the new application. to the verification of the dimension and sphericity of balls, without exerting on the latter a pressure as reduced as may be,capabie oi produc even an infinitesimal distortion, of the pneumatic or 11 means in which a variation 'of we is measured, resulting from a variation of the outflow of a fluid through an outflow o'riiice owing to the variation of the distance m said orifice from the wall of the member to be -"kr or verified. i Y

The means carrying into practice the m feature above de consist in bringing each ball into a rigorously cylindrical channel in communication with the cber the of which is measured and in main said ball in said channel, whilst causing it to roll about in all directions so that all the large circles or the ball are located at least once in a plane at right angles, to said cylindrical channel and passing substantially through the centre oi the Air or other gas can be either sucked through the channel receiving the ball, by a suction effect exerted in the chamber the internal pressure oi which is measured, or driven through said chan.. nel starting from said chamber.

An embodiment of a device or apparatus according to the invention, is characterised by the combination, in one and the same unit: of a ball magazine, or means for successively bringing one at a time, the balls into the control 55 4 controlled by he selecting drum 881d the ball in the bin correspondingto its diameter.

- In practice, the rotation of the cylinder is re-.

channel and of a driving rotary plate the periphery of which'passes under the channel and which is adapted to support the ball at a point out of centre relatively to the vertical line passing through the centre of the ball.

to practice, the means foredvancing the bells one by one, are constituted by a rotating disc or distributor provided with a perforation, said disq tributor being rotatively controlled by the driv-= ing members actuating the plate the periphery of which is preferably bevelled and provided with a notch for the discharge of the verified ball.

The device or apparatus previously defined is combined with a horimntal grading or sorting cylinder,arranged above receiving boxes or bins and which comprises ports distributed accor to a helical line for instance, the cylinder being rotatively displaced, in function oi the diameter of'the-ball, so as to place oneoi the ports in;

the-lower position for ensuring the discharge of lated to the displacement of an index arranged opposite a column indicating the dieter and the spherlcity of the ball. This column can belong to a liquid pressure-reuse which can be replaced bya-mechanical amiaratus to an integrator.

I The invention also extends to other particular v points which will appear in the following text given with reference to the accompanying draw-= lugs, by way of example only, in which:

Fig. 1 is a general. elevation oi an apparatus devised according to the invention for verifying of balls and for ensuring the sort the spherioity u thereon,-

a corresponding side view with section Fig. 2

i made according to line II-H oi the preceding of Fig. 2.

The apparatus illustrated by way of example only comprises a base i on which is mounted a micrometer 2 in particular of the Solex type as disclosed in Patent No. 1,982,528 granted to Marcel Mennesson on November 27, 1934, utilising-the pneumatic measuring or verifying prin-' ciple indicated in the preamble. This micrometer which is known per se, does not require a special description; it comprises a liquid column 2% opposite which can move a marking out index umn indicating the pressure existing in the chamber connected to the control outlet or orifice.

In the example illustrated, said control orifice is constituted by a nozzle 5 connected, by a chan-' of the nozzle 5, the ball being verified being nearly entirely engaged in said nozzle.

The nozzle 5 is mounted in a plate I adapted to receive the tube I and the channel 6 in which opens a channel a admitting the balls into the nozzle 6. Said nozzle is perfectly cylindrical and has a. flared upper part l0. In the plate i3 is journalled a disc II embedde in said plate and the hub l2 of which is cut, at its lower part, for constituting a pinion id meshing with a pinion l6 cut at the end of a shaft ll.

n said shaft iii are rigidlysecured, on the one hand, a sleeve in and, on the other hand, a worm wheel l9 meshing with a worm I9 rotatively driven by a motor not shown. On the sleeve I #3 is rigidly secured a plate at driving the ball being verified. Above the distributor ii is placed a reservoir 29 in which the balls are stored and the conical bottom 22 of which terminates in a discharging channel 23 opposite which can come in position a perforation 24 provided in the disc ii.

- Moreover, for avoiding any leakage of fluid pass-' ing through the tube l and which fills the channel 9, the lower face of disc ii is pressed in a fluid-tight manner on the corresponding part of the plate 8, through the medium of a pushpiece 2%, urged by a spring '2? and which acts axially on the disc i.

Opposite the nozzle 5, but underneath the plate Zil whichcomprises a notch 28, is arranged a spout 29 receiving the verified balls, said spout leading to one of the ends of a horizontal cylinder 3B which can be rotatively moved by manually arranged at the lower part for allowing the veri-, fled ball to be discharged into' the bin correspending to its diameter.

The operation of the apparatus previously described is as follows:

The balls to be verified and sorted being stored in the reservoir 2|, the motor driving the worm i 9 is setin action as well as the source supplying the fluid at a constant pressure to the micrometer. When the perforation 24 of the distributor I I passes opposite the channel 23, it receives one ball and one only, the thickness of the distributing disc ll being chosen for that purpose. ball is conveyed by the distributor opposite the channel or conduit 9 in which it falls; said ball then rolls in the channel 9 and enters the nozzle 5 in which it is held by the periphery of the driving plate 20. It will be noted that the periphery of said plate 20 is provided with a bevel 20" (see also Fig. 4) so that the point of contact of said bevel with the ball 40 being verified is out of centre relatively to the vertical line passing through the centre of the ball 40.

Consequently, the rotary displacement of the plate 20 causes the ball 40 to roll in all directions so that all its large circles are placed at least once horizontally in a plane at right angles to the axis Said The outflow of the fluid, in the free space comprisedbetween the periphery of the ball ll and the corresponding inner wall of the nozzle 5, is function of the section of the'free passageway determined by a horizontal plane at right angles to the axis of the nozzle and passing through the centre of the ball. This free space is substantially in the shape of a crescent or a ring. If the ball is perfectly spherical, said section of passageway remains rigorously constant notwithstanding the rolling about of the ball, in all directions under the action of the rotatively movable plate 26.

In these conditions, the level of the column 3 remains constant and'indicates at the same time the diameterof the ball. The index 4 is directly controlled by the drum 3!! and the latter being placed opposite the level of the water column 8, one of the orifices 32 of the selecting device is located opposite the spout 29. The index I is moved opposite the level of the column by acting on the milled knob 3i, the drum 30 being provided with a gear 38 meshing with a rack 39 rigid with said index 4. Said representation of the index opposite the end of the column automatically ensures the sorting of the balls with differences which are smaller than a micron. After the plate 2t has angularlymoved to the extent of 360, the notch 28 comes opposite the nozzle ii and the verified ball falls in the spout 29 which guides it to the drum 3%, As the selecting drum has been previously arranged, as above indicated, so that the perforation 32 corresponding to the diameter of the ball, is placed at the lower part, said ball passes through said perforation and falls into the .corresponding'selecting bin 83.

In the case in which the ball is not perfectly spherical, this defect and the very value of the latter are indicated by the variations of the level in the column 3 during verification. In the case of a nonspherical ball, the drum 30 is placed in such a manner as to discharge the ball into a bin for rejects.

When the plate 20 is moved slowly, the variations of column 3 are very apparent. If the plate I moves rapidly, the column stabilizes at substanthe spout 29. Moreover, the plate 20 and the disc H are moved at the same angular speed.

It is obvious that the embodiment described and illustrated is given herein only by way of indication and not ina limiting sense, as it is obvious that modifications are possible which do not alter in any way the main features above set forth.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a device for verifying the dimension and the sphericity of balls, in combination: a pneumatic micrometer of the type in which the pressure of air or'of a gas'is measured, said pressure being maintained in a chamber in communication with the exterior through an orifice, a cylindrical conduit open for constituting said orifice, means for bringing the ball to be measured in said orifice, and means for imparting to said ball a rotary movement in all directions.

2. In a device for verifying the dimension and the 'sphericlty of balls. in'combination: a pneumatic micrometer oi the type in which the pressure oi air or of a gas is measured,.said pre mure being maintained in a chamber in communication with the exterior through an orifice, a cylindrical conduit open ior constituting said orifice,

means for bringing a ball in said conduit, a plate arranged below said conduit for retainin' the ball, means for causing said plate to rota and to impart a movement of rotation to said ball,

and means on said plate for releasing said ballwhen said plate is in a definite angular position;

3. In a device for verifying the dimension and the sphericity of balls, in combination: a pneumatic micrometer of the type in which the pressure-oi air or of a gas is measured, said pressure being maintained in. a chamber in communication with the exterior through an orifice, a cylindrical conduit open for constituting said orifice, means for bringing a ball in said conduit, a receptacle for the ball to be measured, a distributor for admitting one by one the balls from said receptacle to a conduit leading to said cylindrical conduit, a plate arranged below said conduit for retaining the ball, means for causing said plate with the exterior through an orifice, a cylindrical conduit open for constituting said orifice, means for bringing a ball in said conduit,areceptacle for the ball to be measured, a distributor for admitting one by one the balls from said receptacle to a conduit leading to said cylindrical conduit a plate arranged below said conduit for retaining the balls, by its periphery cut on a bevel, means. for causing said plate to rotate in synchronism with the ball distributor and means provided on said plate for releasing the ball contained in. the conduit when said plate is in a definite angular position.

5. In a device for verifying the dimension and the sphericity of balls, in combination: a pneumatic micrometer of the type in which the pressure of air or of a gas is measured, said pressurebeing maintained in a chamber in communication with the exterior through an oriflce, a

cylindrical conduit open for constituting said orificejmeans for bringing a ball in said conduit, a receptacle for the ball to be measured, a distributor tor admitting one by one the balls from said receptacle to a conduit leading to said cylindrical conduit, a plate arranged below said conduit for retaining the balls by its periphery cut on a bevel, means for causing said plate to rotate I in synchronism with the ball distributor, a spout arranged below said plate, underneath said conduit for receiving the ball contained in the latter when a peripheral notch oi the plate is placed in front of it, a sorting cylinder for receiving the ball admitted in said spout, and means for moving said cylinder in a definite angular position for discharging only the balls of a given diameter.

CHARLES HILAIRE HENRI ROI JANET. 

